Islam is now busy establishing itself here in the West; indeed, it is the fastest-growing religion in the West today. Therefore, the West is in great danger of being taken back 1400 years to a bygone age, an altogether less enlightened age, a dark age. Mark Alexander, Author: The Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Telegraph View: We Are Edging Towards the Partition of Libya
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Western recognition of Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) looks like the start of a process that Nato has been desperate to avoid – the partition of the country.
Yesterday’s decision by the British Government to recognise Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) as the “sole governmental authority” of that country has limited practical but considerable symbolic significance.
It follows the decision a fortnight ago by the Libya Contact Group, meeting in Istanbul, to accept the rebels as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. A total of 30 countries, including the US and France, have now taken similar action.
In practical terms it means the expulsion from London of the Gaddafi regime’s remaining diplomats and the transfer of the embassy building and £91 million in frozen assets to the NTC.
William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said it would also enable the UK and its allies to offer greater practical assistance to the NTC on the ground. But it is the underlying symbolism of the measure that matters most.
This looks like the start of a process that the Nato alliance has been desperate to avoid – the effective partition of the country. » | Telegraph View | Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Unbelievable Nonsense from the Muslim Militants in Somalia!
MAIL ONLINE: Militants believe triangular snack 'resembles Christian Holy Trinity'
Somalia's al-Shabaab group has banned samosas after ruling the popular snacks are 'offensive' and too Christian.
Militant Islamist fighters last week used vehicles mounted with loudspeakers to announce the bizarre ruling across the regions of the war-torn country it controls.
RADIO FREE EUROPE: On July 23, Belgium became the second European country after France to ban the wearing of veils covering the face in public.
The Belgian parliament passed the law by a vote of 149-1 in April 2010. But due to the fall of the government shortly thereafter and an inconclusive election that left the country with a caretaker government, its implementation was delayed until now.
The law does not explicitly mention niqabs or burqas. But it prohibits the covering of one's face in public for security reasons -- effectively banning the two Islamic garments. Violators will face fines of 137.50 euros ($197.50) and up to seven days in jail.
Support for the legislation crossed the ideological spectrum, with supporters calling it an effort to promote gender equality. » | Rikard Jozwiak | Saturday, July 23, 2011
Blake Hounshell, managing editor, Foreign Policy magazine, spoke to al Jazeera about the 1500 pages 'manifesto' document that was allegedly written by the Norway bomber.
Norway Attacks: Utøya Gunman Boasted of Links to UK Far Right
THE GUARDIAN: Anders Brehing Breivik took part in online discussions with members of the EDL and other anti-Islamic groups
Anders Behring Breivik, the man accused of the murder of at least 92 Norwegians in a bomb and gun massacre, boasted online about his discussions with the far-right English Defence League and other anti-Islamic European organisations.
The Norwegian prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, said Norwegian officials were working with foreign intelligence agencies to see if there was any international involvement in the slaughter. "We have running contact with other countries' intelligence services," he said.
Breivik was arrested on Utøya island where he shot and killed at least 85 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth summer camp for supporters ofNorway's Labour party after bombing Oslo's government district just hours before. Dressed as a police officer, he ordered the teenagers to gather round him before opening fire. Survivors described how dozens of people were mown down. The massacre led to the largest death toll ever recorded by a single gunman on the rampage. » | Mark Townsend in Sundvollen, Peter Beaumont and Tracy McVeigh | Saturday, July 23, 2011
Norwegian Massacre Gunman Was a Right-wing Extremist Who Hated Muslims
THE DAILY MAIL: Suspect named by Norwegian media as Anders Behring Breivik / Police believe he acted alone and not connected to Islamist organisations
The massacre in Norway was the work of a man with extreme right wing views who hated Muslims, police said this morning.
Officers found a series of raving internet posts by 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik, who was arrested for gunning down children on the island of Utoya yesterday.
National police chief Sveinung Sponheim told public broadcaster NRK that the suspected gunman's Internet postings 'suggest that he has some political traits directed toward the right, and anti-Muslim views, but if that was a motivation for the actual act remains to be seen'. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, July 23, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Chechnya Moves to Ban 'Un-Islamic' Energy Drinks
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russia's Muslim Chechen Republic is moving to ban non-alcoholic energy drinks like red bull as "un-Islamic," it has been reported.
Chechnya's increasingly draconian interpretations of Islamic law, with alcohol all but banned and women required to wear head scarfs in state buildings, has drawn criticism that the North Caucasus republic is introducing laws that are often in breach of the Russian constitution.
"Energy drinks are comparable to beer," Rukman Bartiyev, Chechen deputy health minister said. » | Roland Oliphant in Moscow | Tuesday, July 19, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Saudi man was beheaded on Friday in Tabuk in the ultraconservative kingdom's north after being convicted of sexually assaulting another man's wife, a statement from the interior ministry said.
Adel bin Mohammed Assiri forcibly entered the man's apartment and assaulted the man's wife, hitting her, photographing her naked and attempting to rape her, said the statement carried by the official SPA news agency.
His execution brings to 32 the number of people beheaded in Saudi Arabia this year, according to an AFP tally based on official and human rights group reports. Continue reading and comment » | Saturday, July 16, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A Message to My Followers, Visitors
I should like my followers and visitors to know that I am taking a holiday from full-time blogging in the coming weeks. Any blogs will be sporadic, for I shall be away from home for a while, too.
I trust that you will understand my need for some rest and recuperation. I shall be back with you thereafter. Best wishes, Mark
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Nanny State Alert! Australia Bans Cigarette Pack Logos in Smoking Crackdown
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Australia is to ban all logos and branding from cigarette packaging after introducing the world’s toughest anti-smoking laws.
Under the new rules, cigarettes can only by sold in plain olive green packs with prominent and graphic health warnings.
The laws were introduced into the Australian parliament on Wednesday and should come into force on Jan 1 next year.
With other countries including Britain known to be considering similar restrictions, the success of the crackdown will be closely scrutinised.
The laws have been introduced despite a fierce backlash by cigarette companies, with the Australian government pledging to defy “big tobacco’s intimidation tactics”.
In response, tobacco firms have launched legal action and a nationwide advertising campaign that claims Australia is a “nanny state” and that alcohol will be the next product to be banned. » | Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney | Wednesday, July 06, 2011
What a stupid little nanny-state Australia has become! Elect a Welsh Blodwen and this is what you get: absurdity!
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Denmark has tightened its border controls in a move which opponents claim could sound the death knell for the EU’s principle of free movement.
The Scandinavian country deployed an extra 50 customs officers at crossings on the German and Swedish borders in an attempt to curb cross-border crime and illegal immigration.
This figure will rise to 98 by the end of the year.
Denmark, which belongs to the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone, also plans to increase video surveillance at crossings and build four new customs houses.
Denmark’s decision to become the first country to break ranks with its Schengen peers has sparked concern for the future of unrestricted travel between EU countries.
The principle of open borders is already threatened by political pressures created by the influx of refugees fleeing the turmoil in North Africa. » | Matthew Day | Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Col Muammar Gaddafi 'Offers to Give Up Power in Libya'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi has offered to give up power for the first time, but only if his hated son is allowed to stand as his successor, a Russian official claimed on Tuesday.
Western powers are seriously considering the proposal, which would include a guarantee of amnesty from prosecution for the Libyan leader, a senior official in the Russian leadership was reported as saying.
“The colonel has sent signals that he is ready to relinquish power in exchange for security guarantees and such guarantees are on the table,” the official told Russia’s respected Kommersant newspaper.
The purported offer comes amid speculation that Col Gaddafi is seeking to make a face-saving exit amid growing fears that shortages and poverty in the Libyan capital Tripoli were making his position untenable.
The official claimed that France supported the idea and had agreed to work both to lift an International Criminal Court indictment against Col Gaddafi and to unfreeze his family’s international assets. » | Adrian Blomfield, Tripoli | Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Monday, July 04, 2011
Down on the Fourth of July: The United States of Gloom
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – TOBY HARNDEN: NEWS REVIEW: America’s deepening recession and widespread pessimism about the country’s prospects add a bitter note to Independence Day, reports Toby Harnden, US Editor.
Across America today, people will gather for barbecues in their backyards, parades through their towns and firework displays lighting up the night sky.
They’ll be celebrating Independence Day – the birthday of the United States and the 235th anniversary of shaking off the oppressive yoke of British rule.
On this day in 1776 a group of 13 colonies broke away to found a new nation free to govern itself as it saw fit, pledging that each citizen would have the unalienable right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. A nation, as Americans are apt to declare without equivocation, which became the greatest on the face of the earth.
That’s the good news. On the flip side, however, a country whose hallmark has always been a sense of irrepressible optimism is in the grip of unprecedented uncertainty and self-doubt.
With the United States mired in three foreign wars, beaten down by an economy that shows few signs of emerging from deep recession and deeply disillusioned with President Barack Obama, his Republican challengers and Congress, the mood is dark.
The last comparable Fourth of July was probably in 1980, when there was a recession, skyrocketing petrol prices and an Iranian hostage crisis, with 53 Americans being held in Tehran. Read on and comment » | Toby Harnden | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Israel Claims Diplomatic Victory as Greece Stops Gaza Flotilla
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Israel on Sunday claimed a diplomatic victory in its attempts to stop a flotilla of ships manned by pro-Palestinian activists from sailing towards Gaza after it was banned from leaving port by the Greek authorities.
Eleven ships were due to set sail this weekend, including nine from Greece, but two discovered damage to their propellers which activists blamed on Israeli sabotage.
Another ship was arrested on the high seas by the Greek coastguard for leaving port without permission, and the remainder were told they could not set sail.
Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, claimed credit for the delays to the flotilla. "I welcome all the efforts that have been made to stop the flotilla," he said in a radio interview. "The success of these efforts on the diplomatic side are the fruits of intensive contacts with states in the region and the international community."
Israel is keen to prevent a repeat of the violent outcome to a similar attempt to break the blockade of Gaza last year, when its navy stormed the lead ship, killing nine Turkish activists. » | Phoebe Greenwood in Tel Aviv and Richard Spencer | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accuser Could Face Perjury Charges
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The hotel maid who alleges that she was sexually attacked by Dominique Strauss-Kahn could face charges for perjury or be deported from the US following claims that she lied under oath.
The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.
Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.
But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".
But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year.
A letter filed to court by Cyrus Vance jr, the Manhattan district attorney, said: "The complainant testified to this version of events when questioned in the Grand Jury about her actions".
However she "has since admitted that this account was false" and that she went on to clean another room, and returned to clean Mr Strauss-Kahn's suite, before reporting the incident to her supervisor.
Professor Kevin Johnson, the dean of the University of California's law school and an expert in immigration law, said: "The department of homeland security could try to reopen her asylum case on the basis that she appears to have lied in her application, and ultimately say that she should be removed from the country. This is an extraordinary case ... I can imagine the department going after her". Read on and comment » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Tunisia's Zine el Abidine Ben Ali Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Zine el Abidine Ben Ali has been sentenced in absentia to 15 years in jail for possession of arms, drugs and archaeological artefacts.
In his second trial, Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia following a popular uprising in Tunisia in January, was also sentenced to a fine of 54,000 euros (£49,000).
The trial before a Tunis court had been scheduled to take place last week but was postponed due to a judges' strike.
In Monday's trial, Ben Ali alone was accused of harbouring drugs and weapons at his palace in the Carthage neighbourhood north of Tunis. He also faces a drug trafficking charge. » | Monday, July 04, 2011
Saif Gaddafi: 'My Father Will Not Leave Libya'
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, defiantly tells French television that Western powers are doomed to lose their military campaign to oust his father
To all my American visitors: Have a wonderful celebration on Independence Day!
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Accuser Could Face Perjury Charges
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The hotel maid who alleges that she was sexually attacked by Dominique Strauss-Kahn could face charges for perjury or be deported from the US following claims that she lied under oath.
The 32-year-old maid is under intense scrutiny after New York prosecutors were forced to tell a court on Friday that they had found holes in her story that may seriously damage her credibility as a witness.
Reports in New York tabloids alleged that she provided sex for hotel guests in return for money, and that Mr Strauss-Kahn may have misunderstood the situation on May 14.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, who at the weekend was enjoying freedom without bail, is charged with trying to rape her after she arrived to clean his Manhattan Sofitel suite and forcing her to give him oral sex.
But the case against him is hanging by a thread. Reports claim that soon after the incident, she was recorded telling a drug dealer in Arizona: "Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I'm doing".
But what is certain is that the maid told detectives and prosecutors that afterwards "she fled to an area of the main hallway" and "waited there until she observed the defendant leave suite 2806". French newspapers reported on Sunday that the maid married the drug dealer, a Gambian national, last year. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Prince William and Kate Heckled by Protesters in Quebec
THE GUARDIAN: Anti-monarchist seperatist movement tells 'parasite' Duke and Duchess to go home
Prince William and the royal party could have been forgiven for not noticing, but there was a part of Quebec that had no intention of welcoming him and his wife, except with whistles, saucepan lids, vuvuzelas and, incongruously, bagpipes.
The prince – a rare British royal venturing into the heart of francophone, would-be separatist Quebec – received a formal welcome and inspection parade outside the city hall by the bearskin-helmeted members of the locally recruited 22nd regiment, known as "Les Van Doos". The mayor's words of welcome were warm, and even the regimental goat, Baptiste, looked benignly upon him.
So far, all in a day's work. But a few streets away, around 300 demonstrators had a different message. Mostly young, T-shirt clad and some facially studded, but with a scattering of older folk, they had gathered outside an Irish pub to bellow, toot and whistle the message that the monarchy should get out of Canada.
Blue and white fleur-de-lys Quebec flags were waved, as was the green, white and red standard of the failed insurrection of 1837. Their handmade banners told the story: "Parasite go home" said one, "And don't come back" added another. "Pay for your trip" said a third. "William dégage" was the message. Even more bluntly and in English: "Kate go UK yourself". And one for students of Britain's victory over France in the seven years war: "We are still waiting for your excuses for 1755." » | Stephen Bates | Sunday, July 03, 2011
US Anti-piracy Body Targets Foreign Website Owners for Extradition
THE GUARDIAN: Britons could face charges for breaking US copyrights even if they have no link to America and servers are based elsewhere
British website owners could face extradition to the US on piracy charges even if their operation has no connection to America and does something which is most probably legal in the UK, the official leading US web anti-piracy efforts has told the Guardian.
The US's Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) is targeting overseas websites it believes are breaking US copyrights whether or not their servers are based in America or there is another direct US link, said Erik Barnett, the agency's assistant deputy director.
As long as a website's address ends in .com or .net, if it is implicated in the spread of pirated US-made films, TV or other media it is a legitimate target to be closed down or targeted for prosecution, Barnett said. While these web addresses are traditionally seen as global, all their connections are routed through Verisign, an internet infrastructure company based in Virginia, which the agency believes is sufficient to seek a US prosecution.
As well as sites that directly host or stream pirated material, ICE is also focusing on those that simply provide links to it elsewhere. There remains considerable doubt as to whether this is even illegal in Britain – the only such case to be heard before a British court, involving a site called TV-Links, was dismissed by a judge in February last year. » | Peter Walker | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Prince William's French Speech with Translation
The Duke of Cambridge speaks entirely in French when he addresses a military ceremony in Quebec City
The organisers of a Gaza aid flotilla banned from leaving a Greek port say they are determined to continue their campaign.
The activists say Israel has pressured the Greek government to prevent their mission.
The Greek foreign ministry denies this. But the incident highlights shifting regional relations.
The relationship between Greece and Israel, reflected in official figures, show a 50 per cent increase in Israeli visitors over the past year.
Meanwhile. the number of Israeli tourists to neighboring Turkey has dropped by nearly 90 per cent, one relationship weakening, as the other grows stronger.
It is a relationship based on mutual need. In its financial meltdown Greece has been urgently searching for new markets, and a different source of its economic lifeblood - tourism.
Al Jazeera's Mike Hanna reports from Athens.
Princess Charlene of Monaco 'Tried to Flee Three Times'
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Princess Charlene of Monaco tried to flee home to South Africa three times before her marriage to Prince Albert II, according to report on Sunday in French newspapers.
The couple's glittering religious wedding drew crowds of thousands to the Mediterranean principality on Saturday and the guest list included a host of heads of state, European royals and stars of the fashion and sports world.
But sources cited by the French press on Sunday said the former Charlene Wittstock, 33, had even tried to take refuge in her country's embassy in Paris in an attempt to get out of the wedding.
Instead senior Palace officials confiscated her passport and then persuaded her to take part in the weekend's nuptials.
"Several sources have even confirmed that an arrangement was reached between the future bride and groom," said a report in Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), the French national newspaper, which provided no further details.
It followed confirmation by palace sources that Albert, 53, was due to undergo DNA tests because of claims by at least one unnamed woman that he has fathered another illegitimate child. » | Henry Samuel, Monaco | Sunday, July 03, 2011
Strauss-Kahn: Jumping to Conclusions?
DSK Affair: More Claims against Maid as Guests Say She Sold Sex
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: NEW YORK – The criminal case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International Monetary Fund chief accused of sexually assaulting a maid at the Sofitel hotel in Manhattan six weeks ago, continues to unravel amid deepening questions about the credibility of his accuser.
The earlier portrayal of the maid as a pious, devout Muslim was being torn apart in briefings from the defence team and news reports. The New York Post claimed male guests at the Sofitel had paid her for sexual services, quoting an unnamed source close to Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence team.
Last week, investigators received the full translation of a telephone conversation that took place 28 hours after the alleged assault between the maid and a man said to be her boyfriend, who is in an Arizona prison for alleged possession of 180 kilograms of marijuana.
The exchange, in a tribal dialect, was recorded, as is routine in the US. ''She says words to the effect of 'Don't worry, this guy has a lot of money. I know what I am doing','' a police source said.
Although she also recounted that she had been assaulted, the suggestion that she might have seen some financial advantage to the fallout was deeply troubling for prosecutors. (+ video) » | Peter Finn, Jenna Johnson, Philip Sherwell, London | Monday, July 04, 2011
New Dark Age Alert! Muslims Obligated to Resist Democracy, Say Radicals
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: MUSLIMS in Australia were urged yesterday to join the uprisings that have toppled regimes across the Middle East, to renounce moderate forms of the religion and to reject democracy, during a day-long conference sponsored by a radical Islamic organisation.
Hizb ut-Tahrir [Wiki], a fundamentalist group that calls for the establishment of a caliphate stretching from the Middle East to Indonesia, hosted the event at Lidcombe, which drew about 1000 people.
Talks included "The Muslim World in the 20th century: totalitarian Western oppression" and "Western endeavours to frustrate the Islamic revival".
The group maintains a stance against violence, but says Muslims are obliged to engage in armed resistance against Israel and against the presence of foreign troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "If it [the land] is occupied, they [Muslims] have a right and a duty to resist that occupation," its spokesman, Uthman Badar, said. » | Linton Besser | Monday, July 04, 2011
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Prince Albert of Monaco Faces Paternity Test after Wedding, Officials Confirm
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prince Albert II of Monaco faces a paternity test after his wedding to Charlene Wittstock following claims that he has fathered a third child out of wedlock, officials have confirmed.
The wedding was a glittering affair, the likes of which have not been seen since Prince Rainier III married Hollywood icon Grace Kelly in Monaco more than half a century ago.
Amid the splendour of the Mediterranean principality’s Italian Renaissance palace Prince Albert of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock, the former Olympic swimmer, had their marriage blessed in a Roman Catholic service on Saturday.
Among the guests at the ceremony, which followed a civil service on Friday, were crowned heads of Europe, heads of state and celebrities – there to see Miss Wittstock, the daughter of a South African photocopier salesman, became [sic] Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene de Monaco.
But as the couple took their vows, Prince Albert’s colourful past threatened to overshadow the proceedings.
It has now been revealed that, following the couple's civil ceremony, a senior palace official confirmed rumours that Prince Albert is likely to undergo the test after claims that he has fathered a third child. » | Henry Samuels and Patrick Sawer | Saturday, July 02, 2011
Albert de Monaco et Charlene : Le mariage religieux
Ensemble des vidéos consacrées au mariage à Monaco du Prince Albert et de Charlene Wittstock. Événement du 02 juillet 2011. Commentaire de Stéphane Bern et Marie Drucker
Discussion with Christian Malard, a political correspondent with France 3 TV; Brian Cathcart, a professor of journalism at Kingston University and a media columnist at the New Statesman; and Paul Tweed, a media lawyer.
Watch Al Jazeera English Live
Thousands March in Bahrain
July 2 - Tens of thousands take to Bahrain's streets ahead of a crucial national dialogue on political reform. Andrew Raven reports
«Oui»: Fürst Albert und Fürstin Charlene sind jetzt Mann und Frau
Fürst Albert und Fürstin Charlene haben sich vor 3500 geladenen Gästen aus Adel, Wirtschaft, Sport und Prominenz jetzt auch das kirchliche Jawort gegeben. Nach der Hochzeitsparade steht als nächstes das offizielle Dinner auf dem Programm
LE POINT: Le couple princier s'est dit "oui" lors d'une cérémonie religieuse qui s'est tenue en présence notamment de Nicolas Sarkozy.
Le prince Albert et Charlene, samedi lors de la cérémonie religieuse de leur marriage. Photo : Le Point
Point d'orgue du mariage princier de Monaco, Albert II et Charlene Wittstock se sont unis religieusement samedi dans la principauté lors d'une messe en plein air devant près d'un millier d'invités. L'office, qui s'est tenu dans la cour d'honneur du palais princier, a été retransmis sur écrans géants dans l'un des plus petits États du monde et par des télévisions du monde entier.
En se disant oui civilement, la veille, le prince Albert, 53 ans, et la nouvelle princesse de Monaco, 33 ans, ont mis fin aux rumeurs qui planaient sur leur union, offrant un moment de faste à un Rocher à la recherche d'un second souffle. Le palais princier compte sur l'événement pour recréer un peu de la magie qui a longtemps entouré la famille Grimaldi. Une quarantaine de têtes couronnées et de familles régnantes, ainsi qu'une vingtaine de chefs d'État, dont le président français Nicolas Sarkozy, assistaient à la messe de mariage entre le prince et l'ancienne nageuse sud-africaine. » | Source Reuters | Samedi 02 Juillet 2011
Prince Albert of Monaco Marries Charlene Wittstock in Catholic Ceremony
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A day after their civil wedding, Prince Albert has married the former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in a Catholic ceremony in Monaco.
The daughter of a South African photocopy salesman wore a stunning Armani gown cut from 130 metres of silk and studded with 40,000 crystals.
Archbishop Bernard Barsi of Monaco asked each whether they accepted each other "for better, for worse." Both replied with a firm: "Yes."
Then, in front of witnesses, the couple - the Princess, noticeably less tense than she had been at the first ceremony, and occasionally smiling - exchanged 18-carat rings in white gold and platinum by the House of Cartier.
South African singer Pumela Matshikiza celebrated with a popular, upbeat wedding song from Charlene's homeland: "Diviner of the roadways, the knock knock beetle / It just passed by here, the knock knock beetle."
Around 800 guests attended the service in the palace, and another 3,800 were outside watching on a large screen, cheering as popular guests like James Bond actor Roger Moore and former French first lady Bernadette Chirac arrived.
Aside from France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and the kings and queens of Sweden and Belgium, the crowd included fashion designers, models, sportsmen, more minor royals and senior officials from the tiny principality. » | Saturday, July 02, 2011
Gaddafi Threatens to Attack Europe over Airstrikes
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to carry out attacks against "homes, offices, families, in Europe" unless NATO stops its campaign of airstrikes against his regime in Libya.
The Libyan leader, sought by the International Criminal Court for a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, delivered the warning in a telephone message played to thousands of supporters gathered in the main square of the capital Tripoli.
It was one of the largest pro-government rallies in recent months, signaling that Gaddafi can still muster significant support. A green cloth in Libya's national colour, several hundred meters long and held aloft by supporters, snaked above the crowd filling Tripoli's Green Square.
A series of powerful explosions later rattled the heart of the capital, apparently new NATO airstrikes, as Gaddafi supporters cheered, honked horns and fired into the air in the street. Black smoke could be seen rising from the area near the Colonel's Bab al-Aziziya compound.
Gaddafi spoke from an unknown location in a sign of concern over his safety. Addressing the West, he warned that Libyans might take revenge for NATO bombings.
"These people [the Libyans] are able to one day take this battle ... to Europe, to target your homes, offices, families, which would become legitimate military targets, like you have targeted our homes," he said.
"We can decide to treat you in a similar way," he said of the Europeans. "If we decide to, we are able to move to Europe like locusts, like bees. We advise you to retreat before you are dealt a disaster." » | Patrick Sawer | Saturday, July 02, 2011
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Walks Free after Maid Rape Case Crumbles
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Seven weeks after a haggard and scowling shadow of Dominique Strauss-Kahn was first hauled in front of a New York judge, his old self swaggered into room 1324 at the state supreme court on Friday with a broad smile.
In a crisp navy suit, pressed white shirt and baby blue tie, he beamed like a man already plotting his sensational comeback as a statesman, while New York prosecutors and lawyers for the 32-year-old hotel maid who continues to allege that he tried to rape her looked shell-shocked.
Eight minutes later, the 62-year-old – who had been under house arrest and armed guard in a Manhattan townhouse, wearing an electronic tag – was free. The $1 million (£620,000) cash bail and $5 million (£3.1 million) bond put up by his wife, the wealthy heiress Anne Sinclair, were returned.
Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, an assistant district attorney, told the court that "the fact of a sexual encounter" between the pair, after the maid arrived to clean suite 2086 of the Manhattan Sofitel on May 14, "was and is corroborated by the forensic evidence".
Mr Strauss-Kahn remains charged with forcing the woman to give him oral sex after trying to rape her, before fleeing and being arrested aboard a flight on the tarmac of JFK airport, minutes away from take-off for Paris.
The French Socialist, who had been expected to stand against Nicolas Sarkozy for the French presidency in 2012, was forced to resign as head of the International Monetary fund five days later, his career apparently in tatters.
However, "substantial credibility issues" have been found with the maid, Ms Illuzzi-Orbon told the court, following a "comprehensive and thorough investigation of all aspects of this case, including the background of the complainant and her various statements about the incident". » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, July 01, 2011
Charlene Wittstock Marries Prince Albert in 'Fairytale' Wedding
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The daughter of a South African photocopy salesman became Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco on Friday when she wed Prince Albert II at a civil ceremony on the tiny Riviera principality following a week of intrigue and rumour.
Under clear blue skies, scores of residents and tourists lined the streets to watch the statuesque blonde's transformation from commoner into princess in the red silk damask-draped throne room where Hollywood icon Grace Kelly married Albert's father, Prince Rainier III, 55 years ago.
Scotching persistent rumours that she had sought to flee Monaco shortly before the wedding day after discovering Prince Albert allegedly had a third illegitimate child, the 33-year old Olympic swimmer was the first to say "I do" in a matching Chanel sky blue jacket and skirt.
Under huge chandeliers and with Albert's forebears looking on from portraits adorning the room, she exchanged restrained smiles with Prince Albert, 20 years her senior, in a dark suit and grey tie.
Only 80 family members, friends and dignitaries were gathered around the couple during the 20-minute ceremony. But the gates of the Italian Renaissance residence were thrown open to more than 5,000 Monegasques who followed the proceedings from the palace square, waving the red and white flags of Monaco and those of Charlene's native South Africa. » | Henry Samuel, Monaco | Friday, July 01, 2011
Friday, July 01, 2011
DSK Has Bail Lifted Over Sex Assault Case
SKY NEWS: Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been released without bail over sexual assault allegations.
The former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief had his strict bail conditions lifted after he seeked to change them in a New York Court.
He was given his cash bond back but the judge told him he still could not leave the country and authorities retained his travel documents.
Prosecutors told the court the credibility of the hotel maid who accused him had been thrown into question.
Justice Michael Obus said: "I understand that the circumstances of this case have changed substantially ... I release Mr Strauss-Kahn."
But the judge stressed that the "case is not over" and said the French politician was due to appear before the courts again on July 18.
Outside the court, Strauss-Kahn's lawyer said he was confident he "will be exonerated". » | Friday, July 01, 2011
Hugo Chávez Tells of Cancer Diagnosis
THE GUARDIAN: Venezuelan president describes surgery to remove a cancerous tumour, in his first television address since flying to Cuba
Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, has finally returned to the public eye, describing in a nationwide address that doctors had diagnosed him with cancer, following furious speculation about the true state of his health.
In his first live appearance since undergoing emergency pelvic surgery in Cuba on 10 June, Chávez said doctors had removed "cancerous cells" from his body. "This [is] the new battle that life has placed before us," he said.
Flanked by a Venezuelan flag and a portrait of Simón Bolívar, the South American liberator, Chávez said he had committed a "fundamental mistake" in not taking better care of his own health.
"I neglected my health and I was reluctant to have medical check ups. It was a fundamental mistake for a revolutionary," he said, directing his speech "to the Venezuelan people and the international public opinion".
Chávez slipped off the radar at the start of June when he embarked on a tour of South America and subsequently underwent emergency pelvic surgery in Cuba.
In his Thursday night address, broadcast on national television, an unusually reserved looking Chávez who read rather than improvised his speech, said Cuban doctors had detected "a strange formation in the pelvic region" following the first round of surgery.
During a second operation they found "cancerous cells", he said, without specifying which kind of cancer had been detected. » | Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro and Virginia Lopez in Caracas | Friday, July 01, 2011
Royal Tour of Canada: Prince Willam's Bilingual Speech in Full
The Duke of Cambridge impressed crowds in Ottawa as he gave his first speech on his tour of Canada in both English and French
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Case 'On Verge of Collapse' amid Doubts over Maid
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexually attacking a hotel maid, could be on the verge of collapse, it was claimed on Thursday night.
Prosecutors have serious concerns about the credibility of the 32-year-old maid who accused Mr Strauss-Kahn of attempting to rape her, according to several reports.
They believe she has lied about their encounter, has links to a drug dealer and received strange payments into her bank account, according to The New York Times.
The woman's account of why she received asylum in the US, and even her claim to own only one mobile phone, have also been called into serious doubt, the report said.
Citing unnamed law-enforcement sources, the newspaper reported that New York prosecutors had admitted to Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyers that there were serious problems with their case.
CNN, citing an unnamed "official close to Mr Strauss-Kahn's defence team", also said there were "serious issues regarding the credibility" of the maid.
Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62, is due in court at 11.30 (16.30 BST) on Friday, where he is expected to have the strict conditions of his $1 million (£620,000) bail relaxed. He is under house arrest and armed guard, and must wear an electronic tag.
But the newspaper said that the flaws in the prosecution were so great that he could soon also have all eight criminal charges against him - including attempted rape and criminal sexual acts - dismissed. » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, July 01, 2011
My comment:
When this story broke, almost everyone on the The Daily Telegraph forums were ready to indict this poor man for a 'crime' they were convinced he had committed. Not I. I hate to say I told you so, because it sounds so smug. But I truly did. And if this newspaper hadn't taken down the comments to that particular article, you could find it here.
But they have, so I can't. So here is the comment (one of many, actually), where I stated that we shouldn't rush to judgement:
Whilst this man has got a reputation of being a womanizer, and whilst his sexual appetite may be as large as his intellectual appetite, there are certain aspects of this story which simply do not ring true. As I have already stated in an earlier comment, where is this woman getting the money from to pay for a high-flying New York lawyer? But there are many other inconsistencies, too. At first they said she was a devout Muslim, but photos of her show that she wears short-sleeve dresses, she doesn't cover her hair, and lives in a home for HIV sufferers. That simply doesn't add up. These are not the hallmarks of a devout Muslimah.
In addition, it was first stated that she knew exactly who DSK was. Now they are trying to say that she didn't have a clue who he was. By all accounts, he was a regular guest at the Sofitel in Manhattan. How come she didn't know? She had been working there for several years. News of celebrities and famous people travels like wildfire through the corridors of the hotel staff. It is simply difficult to swallow this supposed ignorance. In fact, front desk would in all probability have informed her to be extra careful when making up DSK's room. That's how it works in exclusive hotels, and more especially for regular customers.
Whilst so many people commenting on newspapers are only too ready to convict DSK even before his trial, I prefer to keep an open mind. Being a womanizer and paying for prostitutes – all of which is certainly nothing to be proud of – in and of itself does not make him guilty in this particular case.
I can't help but have a nagging doubt in my mind that he has been set up for the purposes of notoriety and fortune. We all know how Americans love a great story, and we all know how fabulously wealthy people can become when they have a humdinger of a story to sell to the media. And this story is one big humdinger. Whatever the facts of the story, it is to be hoped that the truth will come out in the court. But one thing is for sure: This young chambermaid will not have to clean rooms in any hotel for much longer. I hope her wheelbarrow is large enough to carry the pots of gold which will soon be coming her way.
Chief Rabbi: Equality Laws Leading to New Mayflower Exodus
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: New equality laws are forcing religious people to flee the country because they are being denied the freedom to live in accordance with their beliefs, the Chief Rabbi, Lord Sacks, has warned.
The Orthodox Jewish leader claimed that anti-discrimination policies had fuelled an “erosion of religious liberty" in Britain that was leading to a new “Mayflower”, a reference to the flight of the persecuted Pilgrim Fathers to America in the 17th century.
His comments follow growing alarm from leading religious figures over the increasing influence of equality laws. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has called on the Prime Minister to review equality legislation amid concerns that religious freedoms and Britain’s Christian heritage are under threat.
Speaking to the House of Commons public administration select committee, Lord Sacks said there was "no doubt'' numbers of religious believers in Britain were "extraordinarily'' low.
He continued: “I share a real concern that the attempt to impose the current prevailing template of equality and discrimination on religious organisations is an erosion of religious liberty.
“We are beginning to move back to where we came in in the 17th century - a whole lot of people on the Mayflower leaving to find religious freedom elsewhere.” » | Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor | Thursday, June 30, 2011
US Broadcaster Suspended for Obama Insult
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: One of America’s most prominent political analysts has been suspended by a cable television network after stating on air that President Barack Obama was “kind of a d---”.
